


You've Gato be Kidding Me

by fizzygingr



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Cats, Fluff, Gen, Kittens, accidental kitten acquisition, self-indulgent fluff like you wouldn't believe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 04:38:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18003959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fizzygingr/pseuds/fizzygingr
Summary: Luke and Leia find a freezing kitten on the street. They're supposed to go meet with General Syndulla, but they can't justleavehim there...





	You've Gato be Kidding Me

“Luke, I think he likes you!” Leia says, giggling as the kitten swats weakly at a napkin Luke is levitating just out of reach. It’s freezing on this mid-rim moon; maybe not as bad as Hoth, Leia thinks, but bad enough when you’ve had to park your ship a few blocks further than expected and trudge to a meeting with former Rebel leadership in soaking boots. And certainly bad enough if you’re a stray kitten, small and scrawny, black fur dripping wet from the snow. He’d leaped in front of their path with surprising force, and despite his size, lifted his chin in their direction with a commanding air that Leia couldn’t help but admire.

While Leia gives the kitten a once-over with a pocket medical scanner, Luke laughs and continues to levitate the napkin. Then a gust of wind takes him by surprise, carrying the napkin into a puddle by the side of the road, and the kitten mews indignantly until Luke assuages him with a scratch behind the ears.

“He doesn’t seem to be hurt,” she says when the scanner beeps at her. “Just freezing, poor thing.”

Luke nods, continuing to pet him while he purrs gently. “We should take him back to the ship.”

Leia frowns at the kitten, even as she bends to scoop him up into her hands. He squeaks, curling into her warmth and rubbing his face against her palms. “Yeah, we really should…” she begins hesitantly, and Luke knows exactly what she’s thinking.

“I know how much this meeting could help people, Leia, and I’d hate to miss it, too, but we can’t just—”

“Open your coat.”

“What?”

“It’s roomier than mine.” She smiles slyly at him, like they’re children planning a prank. “You’d need to hold him just right, but he should be warm enough hiding in there.”

Luke laughs as he undoes the top two buttons of his coat. Then his laughter softens into tender cooing as Leia presses the shivering kitten right against his heart.

“Well, then,” says Luke, adjusting the kitten so that he’s held in place by the buttons of his coat, head just barely poking out. He stretches out his nose to meet Luke’s finger before burrowing deeper into the warmth. “Let’s not keep the General waiting.”

They open the door and head inside, sighing with relief at the burst of warm air that greets them. The buildings on this outpost are nothing fancy, and the climate control could certainly be better, but it’s an improvement for all three of them.

They follow a droid’s directions down a cramped corridor, Luke trying to be surreptitious as he holds one hand against his chest. This is Leia’s meeting, really; Chancellor Mothma has sent her to meet with Rebel leadership to discuss veterans’ affairs and the integration of the military into the New Republic. But this general responded to Leia’s message with a request that Commander Skywalker come as well. They suspect that it’s out of a common interest; Leia’s heard she started out as a pilot, and a damn good one at that, and the chance to meet the pilot who blew up the Death Star his very first time in an x-wing may be too much to pass up.

When the open the door, a green-skinned Twi’lek woman walks around the desk to greet them. Her confidence, and the slight swagger to her walk, affirm for Leia that she’s definitely a pilot. 

“Princess Leia,” she says, extending a hand in greeting. “It’s an honor to finally meet you.” 

Leia shakes her hand, noticing that the temporary office is sparse, save for a handful of flat-holos and what appears to be a dark green mask on the desk.

“I worked with your father on Yavin,” the General continues. “A phenomenal leader and a good man. He never passed up a chance to speak highly of you.”

“Thank you, General Syndulla,” says Leia, returning the smile; she never tires of hearing about her parents, and she doubts she ever will. “It’s so good to meet you.”

“And Commander Skywalker.” The General turns to Luke. “I’m glad to finally meet the pilot who took out the Death Star.” Leia risks a sideways glance at him and smiles slightly; their suspicions are confirmed, then.

“And I’m glad to finally meet the pilot who made a hyperspace jump straight through the middle of a Star Destroyer,” Luke responds. He extends his hand gingerly, careful not to disturb the bundle pressed against his chest. Thankfully, Syndulla doesn’t seem to notice.

“Please, sit, and take your coats off,” she says, motioning to the chairs. Leia unbuttons hers, but Luke hesitates.

“I’m um...excuse me, General, I’m just…”

“My brother’s from a desert planet.” Luke shoots her a grateful look. “He’s never really learned to be comfortable in these temperatures.”

General Syndulla nods, and the three of them sit, Luke’s coat—and the kitten inside it—-still safely where they were.

“So, as you mentioned over holo—” Syndulla begins, but is interrupted by a small squeak from Luke’s direction, which he hastily covers up with a cough.

She gives him a brief glance, then continues. 

“You wanted to discuss the integration of the Rebel military forces into the—”

Another squeak, slightly louder this time, and it’s Leia’s turn to hide it with a cough.

“I, um...If you ask me, Princess, the first order of business would be back wages for the—-”

The kitten wails, and Luke and Leia both start coughing furiously, trying to no avail to mask the sound. They eventually give up on the coughing, but the wailing continues, stopping only when the kitten has clawed his way out of the front of Luke’s coat, and onto his shoulder, and is nuzzling his face. In the resulting silence, Luke glances at Leia as if to ask permission. Then he reaches up, slowly, to pet him.

Before Leia has the courage to meet General Syndulla’s eyes, she hears her laughing softly. “Did you bring it in from outside?” she asks.

“You’ll have to forgive us, General,” Luke replies timidly, still stroking the kitten’s back. “We found this little guy out in the cold, and there wasn’t time to take him anywhere else.” The kitten licks Luke’s cheek, and he giggles before pressing their noses together.

“I hope he won’t be too much of a distraction,” Leia offers apologetically.

“On the contrary,” says the General, “I think he’s...almost a sign.”

Leia frowns. “Pardon?”

“Commander Skywalker,” she says, turning to Luke, “I’ve heard rumors that you...that you’re looking to rebuild the Jedi Order.”

It’s Luke’s turn to frown at her now. “What do you know about the Jedi?” 

“More than you might think,” she says, laughing wryly, but her eyes turn a little sad as she reaches to pick up the green mask off her desk. “My husband was a Jedi. He trained in the old Temple on Coruscant.”

Luke stares at her, wide-eyed. “A Jedi?” he asks. His hand is frozen, hovering above the kitten, and he only notices when an impatient mew prompts him to resume the petting.

The General nods. “He was killed by Imperials a few years ago. But our son is almost five now, and he...has the same gifts as his father. Ultimately it’s his choice, whether he wants to follow that path. But I want him to learn it.”

“And you...want me to teach him?”

She considers, watching the cat hop from Luke’s shoulder onto his head and settle down in the nest of hair. “I think I do.”

She turns now to Leia. “I don’t want to derail our meeting,” she says, “and I apologize for the hidden agenda. These are things we need to talk about; believe me, I know. But I’m careful where my son is involved, and before I ever asked such a thing of your brother, I wanted to meet him myself.”

“And what do you think now?” Leia asks, turning to Luke with an affectionate smile. “Do you trust him?”

The General directs her reply at Luke himself. “I knew that you could fight, Skywalker,” she says, “and I knew that you could fly. But what I see now is that you’re gentle. And that’s the gift that makes me want you to work with Jacen. The Rebellion needed gentleness, and the New Republic needs it even more.”

Luke nods, almost imperceptibly so as not to disturb the kitten that’s fallen asleep atop his head. “I would be honored to train your son,” he says, “along with the new generation of Jedi.”

“Thank you,” says the General. She sets the mask back down gently on her desk and picks up a datapad. “Now,” she says, “let’s discuss the future.”


End file.
